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Winter Prep Service at The Garage

Every year, your minivan needs to be ready for our BC winter. The last thing we Vancouver motorists want is to get stranded out in the cold in BC. We need our vehicles to be safe and reliable. It’s a good idea to get caught up on any neglected maintenance items anytime – but the stakes are higher in the winter for Vancouver auto owners.

There are some specific and important things that we need to do to have our minivan ready for winter. The most obvious is having the antifreeze checked. If the antifreeze protection is not set correctly it can’t properly protect your engine, radiator and hoses from freezing. If your minivan does not seem to be making enough heat to keep you warm, your antifreeze level may be low or you could have a thermostat problem. Get it checked out at your Vancouver service center or The Garage in Vancouver. If you are due for a cooling system service, now is a perfect time to have it done.

Check your brakes!

In the cold Vancouver months we always worry about being able to stop in time when it’s slick out on Vancouver’s roads. The first thing for Vancouver drivers to remember is to slow down and allow plenty of room to stop. A thorough brake inspection at The Garage in Vancouver will reveal if the pads or any other parts need replacing. Check with your The Garage service professional to see if it is time to replace your brake fluid. It accumulates water over time which really messes with your stopping power.

Check your battery!

It is also critical to have your battery tested. A battery’s cranking power really drops with the temperature. If your battery is weak in the fall, it may not be up to winter in BC.

You should always have a blanket or something to keep you and your passengers warm if you get stranded when it’s cold in BC. If you will be leaving the Vancouver area and venturing away from civilization, pack more items such as food and water to help you survive. Keeping at least half a tank of gas is key if you get stuck and need to run the car to keep warm and it will help keep your gas lines from freezing up.

Check your wiper blades!

It’s a really good idea for Vancouver drivers to replace their blades in the fall before the BC winter storms. If you live where there’s a lot of snow and ice in Vancouver, you might want a special winter blade that resists freezing up. And be sure to have enough windshield washer fluid.

Check your tires!

The final thing for Vancouver drivers to consider is their tires. Any tire can lose pressure over time – up to one pound every six or eight weeks. For every 10 degrees the temperature drops in Vancouver you lose another pound of pressure. So if it was 80 degrees outside in Vancouver when you checked your tire pressure two months ago and now it’s 40 degrees out, you could be down 5 pounds of pressure. That’s enough to be a vital safety issue and it’s also hard on your fuel efficiency. You may need special winter tires as well. Your The Garage tire professional can help you find the right tire design for your Vancouver expected road conditions.

If you’re getting winter tires in Vancouver, it is always best to put them on all four wheels. If you are only getting two, it might be best to put them on the rear – even if you have a front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive vehicle. This is a very important safety measure recommended by BC tire manufacturers. Sliding or fish-tailing on ice and snow is a matter of not having enough traction at the rear end. That is why your newest tires should probably always be on the rear. Check with your understanding The Garage technician.

Ronald Tremblay

Ronald Tremblay is the owner of The Garage, a fourth-generation family business in Vancouver, BC, specializing in vehicle maintenance and repair. Clients of The Garage enjoy a high-level of service whereby lifestyle and usage of their vehicles inform the service schedule and they are fully informed about the status of their vehicles. In this way clients can make empowered decisions, control their budget and save real money as the the life of their vehicle is extended long past the manufacturer's warranty expectations.

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